TL;DR: Courting disaster? Will the Supreme Court bash markets next? Welcome to UrbanSurvival unplugged, live from the Church of Economic Irony…
Thursday’s Tax Liturgy
Let’s begin by rolling this from brothers Bob and Jimmy.
“”There must be some kind of way outta here” Said the joker to the thief”
The Supreme Court heard arguments this week on whether back-again President Trump exceeded his authority by imposing sweeping tariffs during his first term — a move that rattled global trade partners and redefined executive reach in economic policy. The justices appeared divided: several pressed the limits of the president’s discretion under the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, while others hinted that Congress had long ceded too much of its trade power anyway. The case centers on whether national security provisions can be stretched to justify tariffs on allies, as Trump did with steel and aluminum imports, and what that precedent could mean for future administrations seeking unilateral leverage over trade.
“”There’s too much confusion…I can’t get no relief”
The court’s conservative bloc signaled concern over economic powers left open-ended. A narrow ruling could affirm that presidents may still act swiftly in emergencies, but not indefinitely or without measurable criteria.
While a decision isn’t expected until early next year, the financial impact of those tariffs has already worked its way through the system. The higher costs were passed to us — the bagmen of modern economics — through price hikes on everything from appliances to autos. Even if the Court trims back presidential tariff powers or rules some levies unlawful, don’t expect refunds at the checkout line. Once those costs are baked into corporate margins and consumer prices, any overage or repayment will vanish into the same fog that swallowed accountability for them in the first place.
“Businessmen, they drink my wine, Plowmen dig my earth, None of them along the line Know what any of it is worth,”
Give me an “Amen!” and a “Hallelujah!” As we now turn to the really silly shit.
Right Here, Right Now
Yes, Jesus (Jones). (Put that gasoline and stake down, it’s a song title, for crying out loud! Ya oughta get out more.)
“A woman on the radio talked about revolution, When it’s already already past her by…” Mexico president presses charges after groping incident in street. Dare we recommend sentencing the prep to an Optho appointment? (Was this a presidential-level ex-squeezination? Hmm… where have we….)
“I was alive and I waited, waited, I was alive and I waited for this” Federal judge issues temporary restraining order governing conditions at Broadview ICE facility.
Meanwhile, back on he Earth Ride we World Observers are eyeing: Zohran Mamdani announces all-female transition team as he prepares for New York mayoralty. You know, with enough transitioning, they could all be men before this is all over.
If the Middle East confused you before? Get a load of: US pressures Israel to allow safe passage for 100 to 200 Hamas operatives in Rafah. (It’s OK, the enemy of my enemy is my third cousin who is my…oh forget it!)
Change your password: Password to Louvre’s video surveillance system was ‘Louvre’, according to employee. don’tcha just louve it? Passwords are an art! Lost for ideas? See the how to set up passwords to finger leaks and hack sources – somewhere in the archives.
“Watching the world wake up from history..” Your credit history could be costing you more to drive : NPR
Does this mean we have to put our clothes on? Japan deploys the military in north to battle surge in bear attacks. Oh! not that kind of bare? Let me back into the musical stupor of cross-linked coherence. Bare like in cupboards?
And, as long as musical coherence is running strong, cue Dione Warwick for this next one (Promises, Promises) : Millions of Americans turn to food banks and relatives as longest-ever US shutdown takes toll.
(Whew – I have to spend less time editing and channeling crosslinked reality.)
Take a flying what? FAA cancels thousands of flights amid US government shutdown strain.
Oh, and speaking of flying, right? As a pilot I am still on the FAA continuing pilot ed distro list. And this morning’s email really caught my eye. ““The Schiff Show – Wake Turbulence A Silent Killer – What You Can Not See Might Hurt You” Topic: We Will Examine Helicopter Wake Turbulence and Its Contribution to a Catastrophic Accident.” So I check with my AI stack…getting a little “political edgy” over at Flight Standards? I mean a Schiff reference mid shutdown?
“No, the FAA notice wasn’t actually about Adam Schiff the politician — but you’re right to sense the sly humor of the title “The Schiff Show.” Barry Schiff is a long-time aviation writer and instructor who’s done hundreds of FAA seminars and videos. The title refers to his presentation series, not the California congressman.
Still, the juxtaposition lands like satire: a federal “Schiff Show” warning that “what you cannot see might hurt you,” arriving in an election-season inbox. To anyone tracking Washington’s turbulence, it sounds like a wink — bureaucratic messaging unintentionally echoing Beltway irony.”
Hell yeah! I was about to issue a rare “Double Gold” for Ure writing. You Go, F.A.S.T team. (FAA Safety Team) And do visit our pun collection and double-entendre dump site. You’ll louve it, even if we miss the odd typo.
Markets are trying to find Viagra, it’s OK to re-snooze – double nothing Thursday, so far. Except BTC’s low-T down to $102.5K.
Around the Ranch: Like Weather for Denver
Looks like, on schedule (or something pretending to be) my new book Mind Amplifiers will be ready for Amazon Kindle country mid-next week. After doing sequential-12’s in the chair with breaks only to lessen DVT risks, I happened to look up. OMG – cold – then hot!
The Ure Clan has always been into Weather. We fished – a lot – and Pappy had a “secret sauce” for great trout fishing. Instead of using the typical 1-ounce lead sinker when “single-egging” we would use sugar cubes attached to the leader with small rubber bands. Bait would sink, weight dissolve, and a near-perfect sense of “far end of the line” was enjoyed. With the requisite 10-foot super-whippy bamboo poles.
Circling back to the weather – this kind of “ultra-light” fishing depended on very light winds. Otherwise, it was back to Leadville. Our favorite reference?
Weather of the Pacific Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia” by Walter Rue, published in 1978, provides an accessible overview of the region’s diverse met patterns, emphasizing the stark contrasts in climate across coastal, inland, and mountainous areas. The book explores the PNW’s persistent rain, fog, windstorms, and seasonal variations. Coastal geography drives from mild maritime conditions to extreme temperature swings.
We both studied the book deeply. While other relatives were running a “troller license” off Westport, WA (and Ilwaco_) before the Boldt fishing rights decision, we stuck to the tamer weather in our trout-sized boat.
There are two points to this morning’s ramble. The first was – reading Rue’s book – that (as I was told) when you really want to learn something, get all the definitions. I know a ton of people – even some engineers – who failed to excel in life because they didn’t take the time to look up definitions.
Reading Rue’s book? I was plagued by “What is a mild climate?”
There were several ways to look at the problem. One was just noticing when I went outside. When the Ontology smacks you upside the head and yells “Hey sucker – weather has changed out here!” you can probably toss the word “mild” and go fishing for something better.
More scientifically? A mild climate is one with low variability and small deviation from human comfort bands, while a harsh climate pushes extremes. You can express this with a simple comfort deviation index:
CDI = |mean T ? 72 °F| + ?(T) + (|mean RH ? 50 %| / 2),
…where temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) define both average comfort and day-to-day swings. Low CDI scores indicate mildness — steady temps, moderate humidity, and limited seasonal amplitude — while high values reveal climatic harshness through either cold, heat, or volatility.
Relax, we’re almost to the Denver part:
The walking-around definition that’s served me well is “20-degree variance up to about 25 is mild.” It’s a “squishy-middle” benchmark. It followed that “A 30-degree variance, maybe down to 25, justifies another word-choice. 25 is squishy.
At last! We get to the Denver part.
Denver’s weather is the definition of un-mild — is dis-pleasant a word? A city where thermometers run ADHD. Blame elevation (over 5,000 feet) and living on the edge of the Rockies, cold mountain air plunges down the Front Range with little warning. At times, warm Chinook winds can shove temperatures back up in hours that feel like minutes. The extreme case was January 25, 1872, when the city dropped from 46°F to ?20°F in less than a day — a 66-degree swing.
More recently, September 2020 saw an 83°F afternoon followed by a hard freeze the next morning. Denver’s a blender for continental air masses, downslope winds, and rapid frontal passages — a meteorological roller coaster making “mild” a word best reserved for Colorado salsas.
Today, I’ll be shirt sleeves and lawn mowing – likely the final time this year. But at a dry 82? Yeah, it’s fun. In a Southern Living way. Come Saturday? We’ll be rolling from 83 down to 34F Sunday night. Frost likely here. Faucet covers at the ready.
Old saying goes “Variety is the spice of life.” But we’ve become used to those high 90, low 70 spreads. Age likes stability in all things. Which explains the truth of why we don’t live in Denver. Ice belongs in drinks or at the borders. Not in the Piney Woods.
Write when low variability returns (to weather, markets, politics, and reason),
(First timer? Hit the Visitor Center before it freezes over. The “freezing temp” in Texas is about 51F…)
Read the full article here